Vivo V15 Pro launched at Rs. 28,990: Good, Bad and the X factor

Vivo V15 Pro has been priced at Rs. 28,990 in India. It will sell in 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage model.

Vivo today announced a new smartphone in the Indian market. Priced at Rs. 28,990, Vivo V15 Pro packs in some really cool features that were only introduced last year in company's top-of-the-line Vivo Nex (First Gen.) smartphone. Vivo V15 Pro is quite an interesting proposition. The handset sports a triple-lens rear camera setup, 32MP pop up selfie camera and an edge-to-edge AMOLED screen featuring an in-display fingerprint scanner.

And while these are some really attractive features that will please consumers who appreciate new technologies, there are some comprises as well. Vivo V15 Pro is backed by the newly introduced Snapdragon 675 CPU which on papers is not essentially a flagship chipset. The smartphone also does not feature a Type-C port, which rather comes as a surprise in today's time from a handset which is full of multiple mobile innovations.

Having said that, I have started using Vivo V15 Pro as my daily driver and here's what I have to say about this handset in my first impressions. Let's start with the X factor of this smartphone, which has to be the 32MP Pop up selfie-camera.

Excellent Selfies and lots of interesting camera modes

If you are always clicking selfies and creating stories on Snapchat and Instagram, you will love this phone. The 32MP selfie camera placed on the retractable camera module captures excellent shots. The motorized camera module pops out instantly with a sci-fi sound that itself is enough to turn the heads.

As the company has used a big camera sensor, the images show very good detailing and fine textures. You will also find a variety of modes and filters which further improves the camera experience. The AI Beautify mode is pretty feature-rich and allows you to change skin tone and reshape almost every element of your face including jawline, eye span, and forehead, the shape of the nose and even shape of lips. I am sure there is a good consumer base who would love to play around with such features while clicking selfies.

What's good?

Feature-rich Rear Camera Setup

Vivo has used a three-lens camera setup which comprises of one 8MP wide-angle lens, 5MP standard lens and the 48MP quad pixel sensor working on a decently sized f/1.8 aperture. The results are pleasing. Images show true to eyes colors and the AI is not very harsh. Unlike Honor's AI mode which is pretty intensive and not always at the point, Vivo is doing a good job in the camera software. The camera takes good portrait shots when light conditions are favorable. The app also offers a dedicated Night mode which can take some well-lit shots if you keep the phone steady. You also get 4K video recording, HDR, Pro mode, and AI beauty even for rear camera mode. Overall, Vivo has offered a feature-rich camera app to please shutterbugs.

Vibrant AMOLED Display

Vivo V15 Pro sports a big and vibrant AMOLED display with no notch to hamper the viewing experience. The 6.39-inch screen with 19.5:9 aspect ratio offers a screen-to-body ratio of 91.6%. The display is quite vibrant and is surrounded by thin bezels which make gameplay and video playback quite immersive. If you watch a lot of videos and play long game sessions, you will really like this AMOLED panel.

Eye-catchy Design

Vivo V15 Pro is quite a head-turner. The phone looks and feels premium and can be used with one hand as the buttons are placed at convenient spots. The rear panel of the phone looks rather interesting and sports a gradient pattern. Vivo calls it Spectrum Ripple design and it makes Vivo V15 Pro stand out from the crowd.

3.5mm Headphone Jack and a dedicated microSD card slot

Vivo V15 Pro is one of the very few smartphones in the year 2019 to offer tow very useful features. The smartphone comes with a dedicated microSD card slot so that you don't need to compromise on storage and connectivity. Moreover, if you still prefer using your old but good wired headphones, you are most welcome as the V15 Pro does not ditch the good old 3.5mm headphone jack.

Useful Software features

Vivo V15 Pro runs on FunTouch OS which offers a number of useful software features. These features are tucked inside the settings section. These include Game cube which when enabled restricts notifications for a seamless gaming experience. You get DND mode, Motorbike mode which promotes safer riding experience by controlling incoming calls and texts. Besides, you also get Face beauty mode for video call, enable a number of smart motion features, clone applications mirror your phone to other media devices and can even record everything on the screen with Screen capture feature.

What's not good?

Dated MicroUSB 2.0 Port

Vivo V15 Pro is the most technologically advanced smartphone in sub Rs. 30k price-segment; however, the smartphone still lacks the Type-C port. The choice of microUSB 2.0 port seems rather disappointing in the year 2019. As far as fast-charging is concerned, the handset supports Dual-Engine fast charging which is quite effective. The bundled charger can refuel the battery from zero to 25 % in about 15 minutes.

Vivo FunTouch OS

While Vivo FunTouch OS is really feature-rich, it is still not the best Android custom skin in the market. If you have been a long-time Stock Android user, this iOS lookalike Android skin will not please you much. However, the choice of Android skin is a matter of personal preference and if you have used a Vivo's smartphone in past, you will not face any issues in the software department on Vivo V15 Pro.

In-Screen Fingerprint Scanner

Even though Vivo has improved the in-screen fingerprint scanning technology to a good extent, it is still not the most comfortable way to unlock the handset. I found myself struggling with the in-screen fingerprint scanner quite often as the response time and the unlock accuracy is still not at par with the good old physical fingerprint scanners.

Verdict

Vivo V15 Pro seems like the perfect phone for consumers who appreciate new mobile technologies. The phone offers an interesting triple-lens camera setup and a capable 32MP pop up selfie camera that captures excellent selfies. The selfie camera is indeed the X factor of the smartphone.

Besides, I really liked the multimedia viewing-experience on this handset as the edge-to-edge AMOLED panel really makes video playback and gameplay immersive.

The microUSB 2.0 port seems like an odd choice for a smartphone that packs in so many innovative features; however, the Vivo's dual-engine fast-charging speed is quite effective. We are still testing the processing and computing performance of Snapdragon 675 CPU which is a fairly new chipset from Qualcomm. Stay tuned for our comprehensive review of Vivo V15 Pro on Gizbot.com.

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